It was standard operating procedure today at the Mike Tomlin news conference.

Tomlin made the Jets sound like seven-touchdown favorites, and he even said New York quarterback Mark Sanchez is ”Brees-like.”

With a straight face, too.

Tomlin would not address the issue of his own quarterback –- and specifically why Ben Roethlisberger appears to be fair game to defenders whether it is hitting him in the head or hitting him late.

After the Bengals did both last Sunday in a 23-7 loss at Heinz Field, several of Roethlisberger’s teammates were critical of the NFL for not doing more to protect their quarterback.

Tomlin’s take on the matter?

“The things that go on between me and the league will remain between us,” he said. “I think that is the prudent approach in getting what we desire, which of course is clarity and or change. I don’t think talking to you guys about it helps me in that regard, so I won’t do it.”

I largely agree with Tomlin’s policy of not commenting on the issues the Steelers have had with the NFL’s crackdown on dangerous hits, lest they become a distraction.

But one time it would be nice to see Tomlin tee off on the league for inconsistency in its enforcement of rules governing illegal hits.

He’d probably get hit with a hefty fine, but it would publicly show his players that he has their collective back even though I’m sure he’s going to bat for them behind closed doors.